Wine Pairing of the Month

As the weather and climate in Texas moves from warm to extremely hot in the next few weeks, I am in “full blown” rosé mode as this style of wine delivers much fruit, defined acid, and refreshing taste. Unfortunately, the light hued colors of pink cause many to revisit their college days of cheap sweet Lancer-Mateus and that confusing potion created in California known as “White Zinfandel”. I refer to this reaction and phenomenon as “PINK PANIC!”. As such, I suggest an “intervention” for your palate and allow me the opportunity to advise on the great taste of dry rosé. To set the scene, I always say that rosé is sunshine, “kindness”, a child’s laughter, and the wag of a puppies tail all trapped in a bottle … truly, based on the previous, why wouldn’t you try a glass? As well, a reminder, dry simply means “not sweet” when referring to the fruits of the vine. Rosé is produced worldwide, however, I lean towards France given the dizzying levels of production, reasonable $$$, and numerous shades of light color. Once again, Chef Abitz has composed a great dish to enjoy with a great wine. This recipe is great representation of simplicity packed with loads of flavor.
Pesto + Sunset + Backyard + Chilled Rosé = “A Year In Provence” (keep smiling, do your research, is a great book!). As such, I suggest the following wine:

As a suggestion, make a trip to the Austin Wine Merchant on W. 6th Street and admire the outstanding selection of fantastic summer rosé. The pricing is reasonable, service excellent, the wine is always great, and of course, the above is available.

Please allow me to be your “Everyday Sommelier” and always, good wine tastes good, but good food paired with good wine tastes great!

Cheers!

Designer’s Spotlight: Land Art Garden Center

This past week, I had the pleasure of visiting LandArt Garden Center. Located right outside of Austin in Spicewood, LandArt Garden Center is your one stop shop for all your outdoor needs. Housed on an 8.5 acre lot, you can find anything you need from landscaping materials and resources to furniture and décor.

At LandArt Garden Center the staff is extremely professional, experienced, and reliable. To get a full tour of their 2,000 square foot showroom, ask for Suzanne! Do you need some knowledgeable advice on what plants to use in your outdoor space? Ask for James! He can walk you through their 4.5 acre nursery and fill you in on the latest trends. If you have a big project and need the expertise of a landscape architect, they’ve got you covered, just ask for Grant!

For custom design landscaping, consultations, installation, or renovations LandArt Garden Center is the place to go! They offer their services and products to both the trade and public, so take the time to go visit their space and view their showroom. “The exterior of your property is always the first impression,” why not make it a good one.

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Wine, Dine, and Design TV

This month Erin Hanrahan visits Land Art and Garden Center

Pretty Patio Retreat

Summer is in full swing and everyone loves a backyard barbeque. One trend that is taking off is dropping the lonely grill in the corner and having a full-service outdoor kitchen with a connecting patio for entertaining. If you plan the space right, it is like adding actual square footage to your home. In Texas an outdoor room can be enjoyed almost year round.
When planning an outdoor room consider good quality patio furniture with comfortable seating and weather proof fabric. If you purchase patio furniture right, you should never have to replace the frame.
A treated fabric can be used for operable drapery to close off the space in the winter. For a sleeker look, outdoor solar shades are great. Just add a patio heater, and you can easily get full use out of your patio here in the Texas winter.
Some other tips for designing the perfect outdoor room:
• Use bold colored fabrics. Outdoor spaces are not a place to hold back. Have fun and play off of the colors used in your surrounding landscape. Many of the Native Texas plants have fuchsia, coral or bright yellow.
• Include colorful throw pillows to make your patio space feel like the indoors.

• Anchor your space with an outdoor rug. This will add softness underfoot and will once again bring in your color palette.
• Nothing adds ambiance to a space more than lighting. Plan your outdoor lighting just like you would an indoor space. Consider recessed can lighting with dimmers and outdoor ceiling fans with light kits. There are also some great outdoor lamps to further add to that indoor feeling. Outdoor party light strings work well not only for a party, but are great for adding sparkle around your patio cover.
• Citronella candles are beautiful and are practical for keeping the pests away. They now come in many beautiful colors.
• Add large floor pots with those same native Texas plants that are in your landscape. I like to use perennials. That way if they die in the winter they will typically come back in the spring. An outdoor drip system in these pots will make them maintenance free.
These are just a few helpful tips to create an outdoor space you can enjoy and feel like you are on vacation even when you are home. Chances are you will not want to leave!

Wine Pairing for Ahi Tuna Tacos

I truly love simple, “clean” dishes that have fresh tuna as the principal ingredient.  For this flavorful dish as penned by the hands of Chef Abitz, the density of the fish, the texture of the sesame seed, and the mild salty taste of the soy combine to create a canvas of flavors that need the compliment of a high acid wine.  As a reminder, acid is “Mother Nature’s” gift to cuisine.  Acid tapers sweet, lessens the perception of salt, “cools” heat from spice, adds a light “pop” to crispy textures, and “cuts” through rich sauces (yes, we should all give thanks … food would be so boring without the gift of acid in wine!).  Given the change in seasons, plus the warmer weather, my preference is for wines with moderate alcohol, no oak, super “clean” fruit flavors, and, as per the above, defined acid. 
As such, I suggest the following wines:

2010    P.J. Valckenberg    100% Riesling    “Undone”    Trocken    Rheinhessen, Germany  ($16)

*keep an open mind … trocken = German for “dry” … super “bright”-clean-lean-crisp … crisp green/red/yellow apple … pure juice!
Given the pronounced acid of Riesling, is a perfect match for the “crunch” of the tortilla and will balance the “sweet & sour” of the pickled ginger and soy sauce … as well, has great lime-apple-kiwi-nectarine flavors!

2010    Alain Jaume & Fils    dry rosé of Grenache    “Haut de Brun”    Côtes-du-Rhône AOP, Southern Rhône, France ($14)

*dry Rosé is sunshine, a child’s laughter, the “wag of a puppy’s tail”, and friendship trapped in a bottle … bright red fruits, dry, dazzling!
No need for “pink panic” as the above is dry (not sweet) and a perfect match for the seared texture of the tuna, plus the clean fresh fruits of strawberry-cranberry-raspberry will compliment the “bite” of the napa cabbage and red bell pepper … color my world rosé!

The above wines are available at GOOD2GO for purchase.  Please allow me to be your “Everyday Sommelier” and always, good wine tastes good, but good food paired with good wine tastes great!

Cheers!

We Now Offer Staging Assistance!

Once you make the decision to put your home on the market, your mindset needs to change from “this is my home” to “this is a product for sale”.  The next thing you should do is ask “How can I get the most potential buyers interested in purchasing this product”?

Robin Bond Interiors is proud to announce that we are partnering with iSearchDecor.com to provide Staging Assistance. As the exclusive staging firm for iSearchDecor in Austin, we provide network members with a one hour complimentary staging consultation of the first impression area.

iSearchDecor helps consumers find the right local merchants and service professionals for all of their home décor needs.  iSearchDecor provides a way for consumers to know exactly where to go before venturing out of their homes.

Individuals and Realtors can also contact our firm directly to find out about our affordable Staging Assistance Packages.

Did you know?

1. People form an opinion about your house in the first 5 to 15 seconds.  First impressions are everything.
2. Only 10% of prospective buyers can visualize anything other than what they see.
3. Effective packaging increases the perceived value of a property.
4. Today’s buyers want move in ready.
5. According to the real estate staging association, un-staged homes stay on the market much longer than staged properties.
6. The longer a house stays on the market, the lower the price will be. According to a National Association of Realtors’ survey, homes that sold after four weeks on the market sold for 6% less than ones that sold within the first four weeks.  Don’t be in a position to have to lower your price.  Stage your house first.
7. The average seller will spend between 1 – 3% to stage their property.  This will amount to between $5,000 and $15,000 for a home valued at $500,000.  A 6% price drop on that same $500,000 home will equal $30,000.  Staged homes typically will sell for 6.3% more than un-staged homes. 
8. 95% of home buyers will begin their search for a home on line.  Staged homes show better on line.
9. Only about 30% of the population own pets.  If you have a pet, avoid leaving behind any evidence that a pet currently resides in the home. 
10. Smells influence buyers tremendously.  Make sure your home is deep cleaned prior to putting the home on the market, and keep it spotless during the entire time it is on the market.  It is nice to keep a mild scented candle burning during showings.  Vanilla is one of the more popular scents. 

Asian Design Elements

Dramatic pops of bold color.Though some Asian inspired spaces are centered around nature and fairly serene and neutral, Chinese design in particular is known for beautiful hand painted screens, rich artwork and Chinese furniture.  It is not unusual to see pops of bold true red or a rich deep royal sapphire toned blue. 

Silk is the fabric of choice in Asian design.  Window treatments can range from the

very simple fabric shades seen a lot in Japanese design to more elaborate tasseled treatments in formal spaces.

Floor screens are often used as room dividers or to hide an ugly corner. Live bamboo plants and furnishings made with bamboo are prevalent. Water elements, aquariums and fountains are typical. Low lines are not uncommon with dining areas low to the ground with pillows for seating.

Throw in the unexpected with your Asian inspired space.  Use a wrap as a table runner or frame a kimono in a shadow box.  The details in some of the robes and other clothing are certainly works of art.